Internal combustion engine oil cooler



May 15, 1945. c, SHAW 2,376,198

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION NGINE OIL COOLER Filed June 22, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet l IN V AEN TOR JOE C. SHAW BY 1. Arroz/15V IMaly 15,1945. J; c. sHAw INTERNAL-coMBUsTIoN ENGINE on.. cooLER Filedqnezz, v1942 3 Smets-sheer z INVENTQR.

May 15, 1945.

;sHAw, INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE OIL COOLER Filed June 22, 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 3.

IIIIHIIIIHIIIII vPatented May 15, 1945 v .INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE OIL CCOLEB Y,

Joe C. Shaw, Racine, Wis., assigner to yYoung ARadiator Company, Racine, Wis., a company UNITED STATES PATENT AOFFICE:

of Wisconsin Application June zz, 1942, serial No. 448,019

5 claims. (ci. 257-2) The present invention:relates. to oil coolers commonly used on airplanes wherein air is forced through closely Spacedtbes by frontal pressure as a cooling medium and the oil is forced to pass between these tubes for heat exchange contact with the air.` j

During very cold weather, and before starting the engine, the oil in. the tube chamber is congealed and will not iiow to an appreciable extent between the tubes.

Generally the tube chamber is circular and from one-to two feet in diameter. It is the custom "to preheat the oil'in the chamber by means of anarrow annular passageway around the chamber or-by means of a narrow oil passageway through the center of the chamber or both, through which the engine oil is primarily shunted.

Ataken on line'G-S of Figure 3.

Figure l, a portion being cut-away and shown in section.

Fig. 3 isa fractional top view of the d vi'ce il- V v lustrating the base and valve housing in sition on the. device.

Fig. 4 is a fractional sectional view'taken on line 4 4 of Figure 3.

Fig. 5 is a transverse fractional sectional view taken on line 5 5 of'Figure 3. r

Fig. 6 is a fractional transverse sectional view Y. Fig. 7-.is a fractional transverse sectional view of the device taken'on line 1-1 of Figure 3.

It is desired to-heat'the oil in the tube c l ber as quickly as possible so all of the heat exchange capacity will act to prevent a harmful rise in temperature.

The oil adjacent these`oi1 passageways begins to heat immediately after the engine is started. However, it takes considerable time to suiliciently warm the oil in the tube'chamber at'. points remote from the prewarming passageways. I provide such means which form the subject matter y of the present invention. vWith my invention, all of the oil in the tube chamber is quickly and uniformly heated and the temperature is not permitted to rise more than a few degrees above normal because the oil is soon permitted to ow through the entire heat Aexchange area.

` In devices of the class, in the past. particularly when the tube chamber is dependent upon an an nular chamber only or a central passageway for -prewarmlng, the temperature of the oil rises considerable above the desired'temperature before the f-ullcoolingfeil'ect of the device is in action.

I accomplish the desired results by properly positioning a number of suitably sized apertures in the deilector plates so a desired vvolume of oil may pass directly from one side of the tube chamber to the other without flowing aroundthe deiiector plates, immediately after the engine is started.

To these. and other useful ends, myy invention consists of parts, combinations of parts. or their equivalents. and mode of operation. as hereinafter set forth and claimed and shown in the accom- Pnyng drawings in which:

Fis. 1v is a side elevational view of my device. a fraction being cut-away on line I-I of Figl ure2.

lispisarearviewofthedevicoshownin 8'is a top view of one of the deflectors illustrating the by-pass apertures.

As thus illustrated; thebase plate is designated in its entiretyby reference character A. 'I'he valve and housing in their entireties are desig\ L .nated by referencev characterI B. The prewarming low resistance oil passageways are designated in their entireties by reference characters C and C' fand the bundles of tubes on vopposite sides' of member C' are designated in their .enthetie's by reference characters D and E.

The heat exchange part of the device consists of an outer cylinder lli and aninner cylinder ii,-

the outer cylinder having `anges |2I2 and being secured to member Il whereby a narrow are the same 'shape and size as members I5.

Members I1 are shaped so they' contact and lie between partitions i8 as indicated in Figure 2 .and are bonded -to thesemembers and together -when the tube ends are bonded together; thus a closed .oil passageway is provided Vfrom one side ofmember i i to the other whichdividesthe space in member Il into the two chambers.

I provide ports 2n in the bottom ofmembers it as clearly shown in Figure I: forming. an outlet `from the oil passageway C' into the bottom of the .tube chambers. I also provide a port 2| in member Ii which registers witlf the bottom of the central oil passageway C'.

Member A is shaped as, illustrated in Figures ilto'ihavingo'surfocowhiahiitltboontormrface ofv `member l and being bonded thereto. Member A is provided preferably with a threaded inlet 22 having a'chamber 23 which intersects a tral oil passageway C is provided. Outlets oni opposite sides of this oil passageway are provided by openings as previously described.

Member B is provided with preferably a screw threaded outlet 28 having a port 28 which, as shown in Figure 5, registers with a chamber 30 in member A. Chamber 80' registers with a port il@ cut in member l0 and a filler 32 is adapted to fill the space between members Ill and H, the filler having a passageway 38 which registers with ports 84-34 in casing ll positioned on oppostte sides of the central oil passageway C; thus outlets are provided from the top ofthe tube chambers into outlet 28.

Member B is adapted to be bound and sealed to member A by means of a gasket 85 and bolts E38, the gaskets' having cut-away portions to accommodate the registering-ports in these meming an opening 41 in memberl l0 which registers with member 4I. Opening 41 is positioned in member I0 so an outlet from the top of chamber C' is provided into the valve; thus it will oe seen that oil may pass into inlet 22 and through the central and annular oil passageways Ckand C and escape through the valve to outlet 28.

f If the pressure required to force the oil between the tubes is not great enough to lift valve 42,

then the oil will pass into the bottom of the tube chambers through openings 20 and from these chambers, the oil will pass to outlet 28 as already described.'

\ I provide baille plates 55 arranged as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 having alternately positioned openings as at 56 so the oil willgpass sinuously` between the tubes or around these baille plates as illustrated by double pointed arrows in Figure l andoil passing between the tubes will be in heat exchange contact with the air whichl is forced through the tubes preferably by means of frontal pressure. During very cold'weather and before the engine is started, the oil between. the tubes in the chambers is congealed.' The oil pump exerts sufncient pressure on the oil to cause the same to now through passageways C and C, lift valve d2 and escape through outlet 28. The Aoil flowing through passageways' C and C heats the adjacent congealed'oil andvwhen it is sulciently thawed, some oil will pass between tubes D and E around baille plates 55. However a consider- :able time will lapse before the oil in the center of the chambers will be warmed enough to flow to an appreciable extent and at times the oil may become over-heated before the full effect ofthe cooling air can take place.

Clearly when the valve is lifted, there will be` very little cooling effect on the oil and therefore chamber sinuously, a number of spaced relatively.

aar/aies it will be permitted to heat quickly, but after :the oil in the tube chambers is sumciently warmed, the valve will seat and the oil will then be in heat exchange 4contact with the coolingmedium passing through the tubes.

It will be noted that when the valve is closed, the oil will be forced to pass from ports t@ sinuously for a considerable I distance around the baille plates 55 in order to reach outlet 28. For some time after the engine is started, only a fraction of the area of the tubes will be eective so that the oil may become overheated for a considerable time. f

During the time when only a fraction of the oil within the chambers is preheated, air at very low temperature may be forced through the tubes;` therefore this air will act to retard the heating lof the oil 'in` the entire tube chambers.

In the present invention, I provide a suitable number of properly positioned apertures il in each of the baille plates; thus when the engine is first started and before any material volume of oil can pass the long route from the inlet to the outlet between the baille plates, some oil will be forced through these apertures in the baule plates because of the shortened path provided from ports 20 to outlet 28. This primary movement of oil directly over a short path through the tube chambers, as indicated by single pointed arrowsA in Figures 1 and 2, will bring about an early warming of 'the oil in the entire chambers so the desired temperature of the oil is quickly reached and effectively cooled thereafter and without a temporary harmful rise in temperature. Itwill be understood that apertures 5l also act to prevent recongealing .of the oil in the tube chambers under certain operating conditions.

Clearly my invention is especially adaptable to heat exchangers having an annular prewarming chamber only or exchangers having only a center prewarming chamber; therefore it will be understoodthat the heat exchanger design shown is only forpurposes of illustration and forms no part f my invention except to illustrate one outlet connections in opposite sides of said chaml ber for the viscous liquid, a number of spaced deiiector plates positioned between certain rows of tubes and having means to cause the viscous liquid to pass between `the tubes and through the small apertures in said defiector plates positioned to thereby permit a portion .of the viscous liquid to pass directly through the deec plates and from opposite sides of the chamber.

2. A device as recited in claim 1 including; a

prewarming passageway in heat exchange con-I liquid to pass through said prewarming passageway.

3. A lubricating oil temperature regulating de- {vice of the classdescrlbed, comprising a chamber having closely spaced tubes which extend therethrough, said tubes adapted for: the passage therethrough of a cooling medium, spaced inlet and outlet connections in said chamber, spaced deector plates positioned between certain tubes and having openings in opposite ends thereof to thereby cause the oil to pass through the chamber, and between the tubessinuously, a number of relatively small spaced apertures infeach of said deector'plates positioned to thereby permit a relatively small volume of oil to pass directly through said chamber from the inlet to the outlet, whereby a snuous path of relatively large area and a number oi relatively smallfdirect paths are provided between the inlet and outlet of the chamber.

4. A device as recited in claim 3` including; a

tact with said chamber and-forming -a separate passageway between said inlet and outlet conprewarming passageway in heat exchange -connections,` a by-pass valve associated with said 5. An oil cooler having'a matrix comprising a chamber divided into compartments by partitions, tubular members for cooling medium disposed in said chamber and parallel to said partitions, inlet and outlet ports to? said chamber to enable oil to be passed through said chamber, an opening of comparatively large area provided in each partition the said opening being disposed' vat opposite ends of adjacent partitions so that a `tortuous path for the oil flow is provided through the said chamber substantially parallel to the cooling medium tubes, and an opening of comparatively small area provided in said partitions at at least one end of said chamber the said com- `paratively'small opening being disposed in a partition at the end remote from the larger opening 'in said partition and substantially in axial alignment with the larger openings in the partitions next adjacent to said partition thereby providing a shorter path than the said tortuous path substantially transversely of the cooling medium 'tubes whereby oil will ow in said shorter path when' increased viscosity of the oil produces an increased resistance to ilow in the said longer tortuous path greater than the increase in resist-v ance to ilow in the said shorter path.

" Jon c. snaw. 

